I'm in a constant battle daily to get the right provisions for my child. Being a parent of a disabled child who attends a local Severe special school I know first hand what this centre would mean to the families. I am running out of fight and often feel depleted to make this project happen as you can imagine I'm juggling child care, NHS appointments, therapies and other essential meetings in order to ensure my son receives a basic care package for his severe learning difficulties and physical disabilities. I will continue to strive forward!
Why I'm doing this: 1/5 of every child born has a disability of some form and compared to what your average ' full ability child ' is able to do and has on offer at home or on a day out in terms of care and fun is more a less nothing!
Its a whole different world out there for a disabled child to go out and have fun most of the time due to many uncontrollably and equally challenging factors including mobility, health care needs, learning difficulties, sensory issues, stigma, discrimination and isolation to name a few.
If such a centre existed exclusively for children with differences this would eliminate all of the negativities of the un wanted stares, unhelpful and hurtful comments that can often occur when a special needs child has a challenging moment, mostly due to ' mainstream ' families not being familiar or simply not willing to understand, not being aware of the differences and assuming your a bad parent not handling the child or situation appropriately.
My aim is to provide a sensory centre for children (0-25's ) whilst working with all special schools, outreach agencies, action for kids charity, National autistic Society, Mencap and as many other charities I can that may provide rest pite to parents/carers and most importantly support the children. There are isolated Home Education groups that provide education and play to Sen children because they've often been excluded from Local Authority placements due to lack of understanding and support in schools often these parents are in a status quo and can't get what they are entitled to as a child in need.
I'm hoping to take some burden off the shoulders of the children's disabilities department of the Local Authorities.
As there is over 100,000 children just in Hertfordshire with a disability I have had very positive feedback from fellow special needs families on the prospect of such a centre knowing that they do not have to be fearful and full of anxieties before they've even gone out and that no one is going to be judgemental and most likely Be of an assistance as they are all in the same boat.
Surely these children should and could have a safe space, a recreational park and softplay areas that are not over crowded, have specialist equipment and most of all being able to have fun whilst enhancing their social skills which in turn has to be one of the hardest difficulties they face.
It's often hard to gage a child with additional needs particularly if your non verbal as the disabilities can be very much invincible and much more challenging until you get to observe their and learn their behaviours.Special needs and less abled children can not always participate in your every day child activity so soft plays are overcrowded, noisy, physically challenging and local parks do not have special needs facilities.
My mission is to change the education/welfare system for the better in the uk and will not stop till I succeed in accomplishing my target of trying to help all families with children with disabilities to get much needed support/education and play that's seldom available and pretty much exists on the works of heavily burdened and rarely funded local charities!
Please sign my petition to make this happen - thank you!
Here is a link to the UN Legislation of a child's rights to play.
http://ipaworld.org/childs-right-to-play/uncrc-article-31/un-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child-1/
